Seol Harin was in a daze, her mind foggy.
At first, she assumed Kim Taeyang had some kind of gym-related sexual fantasy.
'The gym…? He's probably been having dirty thoughts while working out. What a perverse taste, just like his looks…'
When he handed her workout clothes, she thought he had a fetish for athletic girls.
'Plain workout clothes with no exposure or body-hugging fit…? He prefers covered-up over naked! He's definitely no ordinary pervert…!'
And when he made her exercise, she thought her sweat was his goal.
'What's so great about gross sweat…? His tastes are truly unfathomable and filthy…'
And when Kim Taeyang pushed her to her limits—
Forcing her through torturous exercises beyond her failure point with heavy squats—
Seol Harin couldn't think at all.
'If this keeps up… I'll turn into an idiot…'
It felt like her intelligence was regressing from the sheer exhaustion.
She didn't even know such a feeling could exist.
Kim Taeyang completely drained her lower body.
She'd never experienced training this intense before.
It was so grueling that tears welled up…!
She couldn't even tell if it was sweat or tears anymore.
In the midst of her soul being sucked out, Kim Taeyang said she needed to "supplement protein" and went off somewhere.
Seol Harin thought the moment had finally come.
'He drained all my strength so I couldn't resist, just to toy with me…! So low and vile…!!'
"It's common sense to refuel with a protein shake after a workout, isn't it?! Open your mouth!!!"
"Ahh…???"
Gulp, gulp, gulp.
Once again, her expectations were wrong.
The shake Kim Taeyang poured into her mouth tasted good.
Except for the brief "throb~♡" in her lower abdomen, it was undeniably an excellent supplement.
"Hey, hey!!! Don't waste it by letting it drip!!!! Lick up every drop that hits the floor!!! This stuff's expensive!!!!!"
"Y-Yes…♡"
She let out a sultry hum in her ecstasy, but it was a minor slip.
The drink was so sweet after the brutal workout that she was momentarily entranced.
Seol Harin was still wary of Kim Taeyang.
'It was so good I made a weird noise… Get it together.'
Anyway, things had been fortunate so far.
The "main workout" and "protein" he talked about were exactly what they sounded like.
That made it even scarier.
She could understand fetishes for gyms, athletic girls, or sweat.
But what kind of fetish was it to inflict this kind of pain?!
'This guy's definitely getting off on watching me break… He's probably super turned on right now… Disgusting…!'
The unknown is terrifying.
Seol Harin resolved to steel herself even more to avoid falling for his tricks.
She had no idea when or how he might pounce.
At that moment, her eyes met Glacis's, who was sitting in a corner.
'Glacis…'
Glacis had watched her entire training session.
Seol Harin felt ashamed for looking so pathetic in front of her constellation, but Glacis didn't seem to care anymore.
'Even after all this… it doesn't acknowledge me…'
A wave of sadness surged within her.
Her tears fell onto the spilled shake on the floor.
A shake mixed with tears!
Who could understand her sorrow without tasting it?!
As she reached out with her tongue to lick the spilled shake—
"Hey, hey. Are you seriously about to give up your humanity?"
"…?"
"I was kidding about licking it up."
Wipe, wipe.
Kim Taeyang, who had grabbed a rag, cleaned up the spilled shake himself.
'What, now he's acting sweet?! Does he think I won't see through his gaslighting?!'
After causing her so much pain, even a small kindness could feel moving.
Seol Harin knew the mechanics of control all too well.
'Hmph. Try that trick on someone who'd fall for it. I won't be fooled by such cheap tactics.'
She was pleased with her own sharpness.
Seol Harin cautiously spoke up.
"So… you'll let me talk to her now, right?"
"Oh, sure thing."
Surprisingly, Kim Taeyang agreed readily.
He had a cool side in moments like this.
"Pomi!"
"Woof!"
Glacis came bounding over eagerly.
Seol Harin had never known it could be so lively.
"Go ahead, talk. I'll give you 30 minutes. I'll be waiting at the dorm."
"W-Wait a second."
"Huh? What now?"
"Let her humanize so we can talk…"
Before Seol Harin could finish, Kim Taeyang cut her off.
His expression had turned menacing.
"Hey…!!!"
"W-What?"
"Pomi's my girl, but she still has her own choices."
"Choices…?"
"I'm not gonna force Pomi to do anything. I'll let you two spend time together, so figure out the rest yourself."
The words coming from that delinquent's mouth were so righteous that Seol Harin couldn't even counter them.
Kim Taeyang muttered as he left the gym first.
"As expected of a spoiled sow… Expecting to be spoon-fed everything from start to finish?"
'That mouth of his…'
Seol Harin didn't bother responding and waited for Kim Taeyang to leave.
He was gone in no time.
Now, only Glacis and Seol Harin remained in the gym.
"Glacis… Where do I even start…? I, I've been so…"
Glacis let out a "hmph" and turned away, lying down.
It was a clear sign of dismissal.
Seol Harin moved to face her again.
Glacis let out another "hmph" and turned away once more.
'Why is she acting like this…? Oh! Could it be…!'
Realizing something, Seol Harin corrected herself.
"Pomi… Will you listen to me…?"
"Woof."
Her "true" name.
Now, she'd been trained to respond only to that vulgar name her new master had given her.
With a sigh, Seol Harin continued.
"I… I messed up. So, will you come back to me? I can do better than before. I'll buy you tasty treats, pet you lots, and… about peeing outside, let's find a compromise…!"
She thought it was a reasonable offer.
No, she thought she was giving up a lot.
But Pomi felt differently.
She had already gained her freedom.
And a master who brought her true joy.
To Pomi, this time was meaningless and uncomfortable.
"Woof woof!"
Pomi bolted and ran off.
"G-Glacis! No, Pomi!! Stop!!"
Seol Harin quickly chased after her.
Her legs were trembling, but she couldn't let this precious opportunity slip away.
***
After giving them their alone time, I returned to the dorm and took a shower.
Yelling while training her got me all sweaty too.
I wonder how their talk is going?
Seol Harin is probably trying to convince Pomi, but it won't go as planned.
A constellation's heart doesn't change so easily.
Plus, Pomi has the "Loyalty" trait, making it even harder.
Unless I beat her, abandon her, or threaten to cook her into dog stew, she's not betraying me.
In other words, Seol Harin is now a hero without a constellation.
Of course, I'll lend her Pomi when needed.
It'd be a problem if she got so heartbroken that she gave up being a hero.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
I rinsed off the soap, threw on a bathrobe, and opened the door.
"Oh? Pomi?"
"Woof!"
Waiting outside was Pomi.
She darted inside the moment I opened the door.
"Hey, you timed that perfectly, didn't you?"
And at the same time—
"Pomi!! Please, just listen to me…!!!"
Seol Harin followed her in.
"Hey, hey!! Don't just barge into someone's place!!!"
"B-But! We haven't finished talking!!"
"Huh? Your time's up, so what nonsense are you spouting, you dumb sow!!!"
"Pomi ran off suddenly…!"
"Hey!!!! You're blaming Pomi again?!!! No wonder you're unfit to be her master!!!!"
"…"
Seol Harin went quiet, seemingly at a loss for words.
That last part was sincere.
I'm a guy who loves dogs.
Even before possessing Kim Taeyang, I saw how coldly Seol Harin treated Pomi countless times.
It always pissed me off, and now I finally got the chance to call her out.
"It's your fault for not being persuasive enough, isn't it?!!"
"T-That's…"
"And I'm bored of the slave thing now! Forget about talking to Pomi again!!"
Of course, that's a lie.
I plan to keep using Seol Harin as a "slave" and train her for a long time.
That was just to provoke her.
"How can you decide that so one-sidedly?!"
"Huh? I'm saying I'll free you from being a slave, so what's the problem?!!"
"Even if you allow it, I don't! I'll stay your slave!! Until Pomi talks to me!!"
Seol Harin was now begging to keep the slave contract.
You're such a good slave!
"Then show some minimum effort!!"
"Ugh…!"
From the looks of it, Seol Harin had recovered quite a bit.
It's only been a little over 30 minutes since the workout, yet she managed to run here just fine.
Or maybe she wasn't even that tired to begin with.
The body of a talented hero… truly a mystery.
Strength training is a cycle of micro-tears and recovery.
If she's recovered, it's time for the next workout.
"…Fine. Since there's no equipment here, let's do bodyweight exercises."
Surprisingly, Seol Harin knew exactly what I wanted.
She got into position on the floor.
"Heh heh heh. As expected of a refined lady, you're quick on the uptake, aren't you? I'll hold your legs tight, so get started."
"One…! Two…!"
And so, the second round of training began.
This time, we started with abs.
"Ugh…"
"Hnng…!"
After about 200 reps,
Seol Harin could no longer count aloud, only groaning.
I pressed down on her abs.
They weren't engaging at all.
"Hey! Stop slacking and squeeze properly!! I'm not feeling it at all?!!!"
If you squeeze (your abs) so lazily, other muscles get involved!
It ruins the workout!
"Grr…!"
She was giving it her all.
Her tenacity was impressive, I'll give her that.
Still a long way to go, though.
While we were focused on shredding her abs,
Bang bang bang!
"?"
Someone was pounding on my door.
This is a temporary dorm, so I shouldn't have any visitors.
Oh, is it a noise complaint?
***
'I should've known when Harin started talking to that delinquent…'
Seol Harin, his childhood friend.
Kang Juhyeok had sensed something was off the moment that tanned, blonde delinquent approached her.
But he couldn't bring himself to step in.
Seol Harin was always better than him.
She overcame any problem on her own.
It was always him who needed help.
This time, too,
He told himself she'd handle it herself.
Comforting himself with that thought, Kang Juhyeok turned a blind eye to the hulking delinquent.
The result?
Seol Harin had her constellation stolen.
She was forced to kneel and bow before everyone,
Declaring herself a slave while revealing her three sizes in a humiliating display.
Back then, Kang Juhyeok deliberately left the scene.
She wouldn't have wanted him to intervene.
She wouldn't have wanted to show him that side of her.
But he didn't just run away.
'I'll pay you back double… no, triple…'
Kang Juhyeok tracked down the delinquent's dorm through various sources.
After gathering some intel, he headed straight there.
By his side were three constellations.
"Hero, petty revenge is meaningless. You'd gain more from meditating in this time."
The stern, white-eyed grand mage, Aporione.
"Geez, talking like it's not your problem? Of course you wouldn't get it, you friendless loner. This guy's pissed!"
The prickly ghost knight, Planchel.
"According to the teachings of the Order, killing out of vengeance is wrong. So, just take two or three fingers."
The sealed saintess, Danaran.
With his three constellations, Kang Juhyeok stood before Kim Taeyang's door.
"Planchel-nim, please help me."
"Alright, alright, I'll help. But ease up on the intensity, man. Swing your fists like that, and someone's gonna die."
"I'll try to control my strength."
"'Try' isn't good enough—do it!"
"I can't promise that."
"Ha…"
The ghost knight Planchel reluctantly bestowed a stigma.
The Power of the Honorable.
An ability that boosts a hero's strength several times over for a short period.
Kang Juhyeok clenched his fist, now blazing with ghostly flames.
His entire body tensed involuntarily.
His eyes were bloodshot with fury.
'I'll show you my true strength. So you'll never mess with Harin again…!!'
Bang bang bang!!
He pounded on the door.
There was some noise from inside, and soon the door opened.
'Here he comes…!'
Kang Juhyeok planned to swing the moment Kim Taeyang showed his face.
He knew his opponent was strong.
After all, he'd defeated Seol Harin.
But that was with a constellation.
If he came out alone, without one, a surprise attack could take him down.
Creak—
Finally, the door opened, revealing the person inside.
Kang Juhyeok, ready to throw a punch, froze like a statue.
'Harin…?'
"Haa… Haa… Hnng…!"
Her entire body was drenched in sweat.
Seol Harin was panting heavily, her face flushed red as if she'd just gone through an intense workout.
"Harin…! What did that bastard do to you?!!"
"…"
Dozens of images flashed through Kang Juhyeok's mind.
His precious childhood friend, pinned down and ravaged by a delinquent.
Her first time was supposed to be gentle and romantic…!
Her first partner was supposed to be a charming guy like him, not some thug…!!!
"You bastard…!"
He couldn't hold back any longer.
The unbearable rage of being too late surged within him.
As he tried to barge into the room—
"…Kang Juhyeok."
"?"
Seol Harin blocked his path.
"What do you think you're doing, barging in like that?"
"I-I was trying to save you…"
"Ha. Save me? Now?"
"…!"
Now?
How late am I supposed to be?
I only left because I thought you wouldn't want me to see you like that…
I was just being considerate…!
It was blatant rationalization.
Kang Juhyeok was skilled at rationalizing.
Maybe that's why he was always one step behind.
Push—
Seol Harin shoved him back.
Her palm against his chest felt scorching hot.
"No, forget what I just said… I don't know what you're thinking, but I don't need your help right now. Never did. So just go."
"Wait a second! At least tell me what's going on—"
"I'll explain everything later."
That was the end of her explanation.
"Harin?"
Bam!
Seol Harin pushed Kang Juhyeok out and slammed the door shut.
"…"
Left alone in the hallway, Kang Juhyeok stood frozen.
Hng! Haa…!!
Groans started echoing from inside the room again.
Thud—
Pale as a ghost, Kang Juhyeok collapsed to the floor.